Engineering apprentice is making history at Sheffield Forgemasters

Sheffield College engineering apprentice Lucy Nicoll is making history and is pictured with Rick Franckeiss, Group Training Manager at Sheffield Forgemasters.

Sheffield
College engineering apprentice Lucy Nicoll is making history by being the first
modern day female welder and fabricator at one of the city’s leading and iconic
employers.

The
17-year-old recently started as a trainee welder and fabricator at Sheffield
Forgemasters International Ltd as part of the company’s largest ever intake of
33 apprentices.

Sheffield
Forgemasters is a world leader in the delivery of engineering research and development
projects, forging technologies, steelmaking and ultra-large steel castings.

The
company, on Brightside Lane, can trace its roots in Sheffield back more than
200 years and employs 685 staff including the new intake of apprentices.

Women
were employed by the company in welding roles during the wartime years when the
men were sent off to war. Lucy is the first female welder and fabricator in
modern times.

Lucy’s achievements are being
highlighted as part of National Apprenticeship Week, from March 4th to 8th,
which celebrates the positive impact that apprenticeships have on individuals,
businesses and the wider economy.

Lucy
said: “It was an amazing feeling getting an apprenticeship at Sheffield
Forgemasters. It’s such a historic company. I felt so happy that I could barely
speak!”

She
added: “I’m the only girl amongst 600-plus staff on the shop floor and I don’t
mind at all. Everyone is really welcoming and so accepting. I feel very proud
to work there.”

Lucy
is completing an Apprenticeship in Fabrication and Welding at Level 3. Her
training includes mastering sheet metalwork, plate work, fabrication and
tungsten inert gas welding.

Lucy
spends four days in the workplace and one day a week at The Sheffield College’s
Stocksbridge training facility. She previously studied at UTC Sheffield City
Centre where she completed a technical qualification in engineering and advanced
manufacturing alongside GCSEs.

She
added: “I enjoy the challenge of welding, and the fact that I am making
something and using my maths and problem solving skills in order to do that. It
takes a lifetime to perfect it. When people ask me why I’ve chosen a career in
engineering, my answer is why not? University is not for me and I like the fact
that I earn as I learn.”

Rick
Franckeiss, Group Training Manager at Sheffield Forgemasters, said: “We are
delighted that Lucy has taken on an apprenticeship in welding and fabrication.
As an equal opportunities employer, we are keen to encourage more females into
an industry that, across the world, has traditionally employed men.”

He
added: “Our welders can go on to work on the most technically complex products
imaginable, from defence related components to those used in civil nuclear
power. Lucy is a great role model for future apprentices and shows that there
is no reason why women cannot work in engineering roles.”

The Sheffield College is the
largest provider of apprenticeships in the city and the region. During the last
academic year, the College worked with approximately 1,250 employers supporting
around 2,624 apprentices.

Apprenticeships provide the
opportunity for young people and adults to learn on-the- job skills, gain a
qualification and get onto the first rung of the career ladder with the chance
to secure permanent employment afterwards.

Angela
Foulkes, Chief Executive and Principal, The Sheffield College, said: “Lucy is a
fantastic role model for young women who want to go further and pursue their
career dreams. Already, Lucy has shown that she has great skills in welding and
fabricating and that she is more than ready for the world of work.”

She
added: “I am so proud to be able to count such a positive, aspirational and
inspirational young woman as a Sheffield College apprentice. I wish Lucy every
success on her journey.” The
College provides free advice to apprenticeship applicants, as well as employers
who want to find out about the benefits and practical steps involved in
recruiting an apprentice. For more information, visit www.sheffcol.ac.uk or call 0114 2602600.